The 22nd Alaska State Legislature began January 8, 2001 with the swearing in of the House and Senate. For me this was an exciting experience, as I am new to the Legislature. I am in the Legislative Internship Program from the University of Alaska. I have read about the Legislature in textbooks, but now I get to experience it first hand. I have the honor of working in the office of Representative Con Bunde from District 18 in Anchorage.

The boxes and bubble wrap lined the walls in the entryway on Thursday the 4th, when many new (and returning) faces appeared to begin the Orientation that would precede the start of the session. By the end of Saturday we were briefed on everything from Supplies, Employee Policies, the Press, and Data Processing to The Committee Process, How a Bill Becomes a Law and of course Ethics. It is a lot of information in a short period, but being a student, I am used to that sort of thing.

From the 5th floor of the Capitol Building, Representative Bunde's staff Lynne Smith, Patti Swenson, Karen McCarthy, Rachelle Seward and I began to establish a system of working together that will take us through the next 4 months. Representative Bunde is the Vice-Chairman of the Finance Committee and Chairman of the House Special Committee on Education. He takes his job very seriously, "The Constitution states that the most important item of business for the legislature is the budget, I believe it is the constituents". It is this very sentiment that made my choice simple in deciding to become an intern for Representative Bunde.

House Bill 13, sponsored by Representative Bunde reads, "An Act relating to municipal service areas and providing voter approval of the formation, alteration, or abolishment of certain service areas." Patti Swenson, who is working with Representative Bunde on HB13, said that, "This bill is aimed at local control. It allows people to contract for services and protects service area annexation from larger municipalities and boroughs." As part of my internship, I will follow this Bill through the House and Senate, watching and learning the process that it takes a Bill to become a law. If you would like further information about this Bill, you may send an email to Patti_Swenson@legis.state.ak.us.

Representative Bunde's role with the House Special Committee on Education is important to him because he was the Chairman of the HESS committee, which sponsored the Bill, when the Competency Exam was established. The exam is important on many levels and Representative Bunde has heard from the business community and Native community in regards to the positive aspects of the Competency exam. A former professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Representative Bunde is aware of the needs of students leaving high school. "This is a motivational tool for all parties involved" stated Representative Bunde. He agrees with the statement that not having standards such as these is academic child abuse. These students need to have the skills to carry them throughout the rest of their lives, Bunde states, "If not us, who, and if not now, when". These standards are giving value to the diplomas the students receive. Only one week has gone by and I have sat in on meetings regarding finance, entered 300 plus names into a database for a mailing, and watched Representative Bunde sign his Oath of Office with the Lt. Governor. I have been able to listen as my boss asked for support for House Bill 13, and as he participated in an interview with the associated press. I have seen the faces of people I read about in the newspaper, listened to the House and Senate as they met in chambers, and watched the State of the State address. I have learned that there are hundreds of acronyms used in the Legislative language, and I will have to learn most of them if I want to understand everything that is being said. This session will be a working one for everyone involved, from the veterans to the new staff. Everyone will be working for their cause, for their Bill, and hopefully for their Constituents. I like that Representative Bunde believes that his Constituents are the most important part of his job. It means he is working for the people who elected him. Representative Bunde believes that the Alaska Legislature is still small enough for the people to "really matter", and that the "grand experience of the democratic process still really work here". I look forward to this session with the "fresh wide-open" eyes of an intern.

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